Why the Dual Charger option is a good thing to have

[Rockster]

I'm hoping that all of us that have HPWC's installed at our homes make sure that they are made available to others and shown on PlugShare. I've done that for the one in my garage and the one that my son and I installed at his house in Spokane (about 280 miles away). Looks like it would solve a lot of the destination charging concerns if did this. I'm looking to hosting other tesla owners.

This.

A significant factor in my choosing an HPWC for my garage was to help build an 80-amp infrastructure to benefit all Model S owners. I'm hoping that by paying it forward for other travelers who stop by my house, I'm increasing the chance that I'll find an 80-amp HPWC in my travels.

 

[amitb00]

I agree that having a dual charger is preferable to not having one. In big scheme of things additional 1500 does not matter but makes car more usable. With Tesla service centers in all major ciities, you have access to HPWC allowing you to charge at higher rate.

 

[talhas3]

Hmm...I never thought about the advantage of dual chargers when charging at a Tesla store. I haven't needed to charge anywhere other than home yet, but I actually have a couple of trips planned where a Tesla store was going to be my charging stop.

At the Tesla store, why can't you just charge using their cables? How does the dual charger come in play here?

 

[scaesare]

At the Tesla store, why can't you just charge using their cables? How does the dual charger come in play here?

Most stores don't have Superchargers, which bypass the cars internal chargers and deliver DC current directly.

Most stores instead have HPWCs, which deliver up to 80A of AC current, that your car's on-board chargers must convert to DC. If you only have one on-board charger, you can only draw up to 40A of charge current. Dual chargers will let you draw the full 80A

 

[sbronle1]

I had the dual chargers installed with purchase. I thought I had researched every aspect of buying the car but Tesla's information on this issue was not clear. They were not bundled and I made the assumption that dual chargers would speed charging at public charging stations. No regrets though after reading many of these posts. Tesla should be a bit more clear on dual charger usage in my opinion. I have a 40 amp charging outlet in my garage and rarely drive over 100 miles in any given day so in reality I probably did not need the extra charger.

 

[talhas3]

Most stores don't have Superchargers, which bypass the cars internal chargers and deliver DC current directly.

Most stores instead have HPWCs, which deliver up to 80A of AC current, that your car's on-board chargers must convert to DC. If you only have one on-board charger, you can only draw up to 40A of charge current. Dual chargers will let you draw the full 80A

Ok so all they do is increase the speed at which the charging occurs at public stations or at your house or work...

Thanks for clarifying

 

[iadbound]

I had the dual chargers installed with purchase. I thought I had researched every aspect of buying the car but Tesla's information on this issue was not clear. They were not bundled and I made the assumption that dual chargers would speed charging at public charging stations. No regrets though after reading many of these posts. Tesla should be a bit more clear on dual charger usage in my opinion. I have a 40 amp charging outlet in my garage and rarely drive over 100 miles in any given day so in reality I probably did not need the extra charger.

The dual chargers will speed charging at public stations, as long as the particular public charging station offers charging above 40 amps (such as an HPWC at a Tesla service center). Superchargers and other DC chargers are obviously not dependent on the Tesla's charger (or chargers if you got the dual charger option) because they bypass the internal chargers.

 

[Pilot_51]

Ok so all they do is increase the speed at which the charging occurs at public stations or at your house or work...

Thanks for clarifying

ONLY if the charging stations provide over 40A of AC power, which is still fairly uncommon for anything other than the Tesla HPWC. Most people, like me, will be perfectly fine with a NEMA 14-50 outlet at home, which provides up to 40A, or the limit of a single charger. Level 3 charging stations such as Superchargers and CHAdeMO chargers use DC, which as scaesare said doesn't use the on-board chargers, though you will need the Supercharger option enabled to use ANY DC chargers.

Edit:

The dual chargers will speed charging at public stations, as long as the particular public charging station offers charging above 40 amps (such as an HPWC at a Tesla service center). Superchargers and other DC chargers are obviously not dependent on the Tesla's charger (or chargers if you got the dual charger option) because they bypass the internal chargers.

Beat me to it.

 

[jerry33]

The dual chargers will speed charging at public stations, as long as the particular public charging station offers charging above 40 amps (such as an HPWC at a Tesla service center). Superchargers and other DC chargers are obviously not dependent on the Tesla's charger (or chargers if you got the dual charger option) because they bypass the internal chargers.

Correct. And when you need them, they are a real timesaver. This doesn't occur in the majority of charging instances, but those times that it does you'll be glad you have them.

 

[callmesam]

Dual charging seems to be a stopgap until a robust Supercharger network is completely built out.

Having driven my MS60 30K miles this year, I've never run into a public charger (other than an HPWC) that would have allowed me to utilize a dual charger.

I'm glad that I didn't stretch for something that I have had ZERO use for.

That being said, I don't think that MY circumstance (living in Southern California and within 10 miles of the Hawthorne Supercharger) apply outside my geographical location.

 

[Bipo]

Here in Europe there are really a lot of 22 kW chargers, so is a no brainer... In America I don't really know, but I think is worth it if you use it someday (according to Murphy's Law you will need'em precisely in the worst scenario ah!)

I think here in Europe 22 kW charger must be standard and 43 kW charger the option. Three phase current allows you to get 43 kW using just 63 A

 

[iadbound]

ONLY if the charging stations provide over 40A of AC power, which is still fairly uncommon for anything other than the Tesla HPWC. Most people, like me, will be perfectly fine with a NEMA 14-50 outlet at home, which provides up to 40A, or the limit of a single charger. Level 3 charging stations such as Superchargers and CHAdeMO chargers use DC, which as scaesare said doesn't use the on-board chargers, though you will need the Supercharger option enabled to use ANY DC chargers.

Edit:

Beat me to it.

:smile: Never hurts to hit a point a twice around here!

 

[jerry33]

Dual charging seems to be a stopgap until a robust Supercharger network is completely built out.

There will always be places where a Supercharger will be out of reach (or at least out of the way). Just try driving on nice roads rather than on interstates. Maybe in 30 years there will be Superchargers covering those roads as well, but that's a bit long to wait.

 

[Hodginator]

I wasn't planning to get dual chargers when I ordered my MS, but I ended up with a nicely loaded inventory car that had them. My car was in for service the other day and they used a HPWC to charge my car. The result was I got my car back the same day with a good amount of charge. So I'm glad I have them, but I'm still torn on whether I would have purchased them intentionally.

 

[scaesare]

Dual charging seems to be a stopgap until a robust Supercharger network is completely built out.

I suspect that depends on what you mean by "completely built out". If you are referring to Tesla's build-out plans as published, they aren't planning on supercharger sites within origination/destination areas... in other words inside large cities for the most part. If by that you instead mean "high concentration within city limits", I don't think you'll likely see that soon, if at all. I suspect it's not nearly as practical in the numbers you'd need to accommodate all the cars if that's the only charging option.

There are hundreds (or even thousands) of overnight accommodation locations at popular destinations. It seems more practical for many hotels to put in a few L2 chargers for overnight, then it does to try and cram enough superchargers in to a city to meet the demand.

 

[DennisLevitt]

I guess it depends on where you live and your lifestyle. I've had my twin charger Model S for about 20,000 miles and never once used twin chargers and only once did I need a Nema 14-50 or Level 2 to charge faster than a single charger. I live in the city so I never drive over 200 miles in a day unless I'm on a road trip, which is rare. And on 3 road trips I've used the ever-expanding supercharger network plus Level 2 at night.

 

[Pilot_51]

It seems more practical for many hotels to put in a few L3 chargers for overnight, then it does to try and cram enough superchargers in to a city to meet the demand.

I think L3 would be overkill for overnight charging given how fast they charge, plus they're much more expensive and bulky than AC chargers. Hotels wouldn't go for that. Other places like malls, restaurants, theaters, parks, etc. would make more sense, as people typically stick around just for an hour or two.

 

[scaesare]

I think L3 would be overkill for overnight charging given how fast they charge, plus they're much more expensive and bulky than AC chargers. Hotels wouldn't go for that. Other places like malls, restaurants, theaters, parks, etc. would make more sense, as people typically stick around just for an hour or two.

Erk, my bad... typo. I meant L2... correcting my post.

Thanks.

 

[mellington]

I'm torn myself, dual chargers give me access to the higher kw AC world but by the end of 2014/15 there's no shortage of superchargers in the UK. My thoughts are around the CHAdeMO adapter.

 

[Al Sherman]

I've had the dual chargers for over a year. I used them maybe 4 or 5 times, and needed them maybe twice. Today, given what I know/have seen, I wouldn't buy any Model S without Dual Chargers.